Lost in the Moonlight
by Maihowl
Summary: Beast Boy and Starfire find themselves stuck waiting out a storm and confessions start flowing between them as the two friends admit feelings for two other teammates. Follow the Titans as they wander through a strange world where new friendships will bloom, chaos will ensue and even a little romance will be tested as the Titans find themselves wandering lost in the moonlight.
1. Just another Day in Jump City

This is a very old story that I have decided to recreate and give some TLC to. It was an idea I've cherished for a very long time and while I started on this story 5 years ago I had just graduated from middle school and my structure and creativity was, well not at its peak. ^.^

But I've decided to give this story a second chance at life. I really hope you guys get into it, though it is far from perfect, if the readers like it then I will continue onward! I already have 5 chapters set so far that needs revised but I have the structure and a set plot (finally) for these five teens and an adventure that will hopefully be filled with mystery, romance, action, and a bit of humor of course =) .

I sadly do not own Teen Titans nor anything else related to the series ='( If I did I would have made a season 6 and not replace it with that odd chibi show on Cartoon Network.

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Lost in the Moonlight

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It was a pretty normal day for Jump city. Cars rolled down the highway, kids screamed in bliss at the park as they ran around a swing set, and somewhere in the distance the wafting of barbecue blew in a slight breeze. The sun shined down onto the city without a cloud in the sky, and the rays rained down on the wandering citizens. A couple dogs yelped in their yards, pulling on their chains to chase after a nearby gray tabby, which ignored the noise and continued to sunbathe in the grass.

The salty ocean waters lapped at the shoreline as seagulls flew about, searching the waters for a tasty snack. Large, foamy waves crashed onto the rocky shore, as crabs darted to and fro trying not to be swept away from the waters. The Teen Titan Tower glowed on the small island off the coast of Jump City. The sun's rays cast a reflection against the window causing anyone who dared to glance its way to squint their eyes from lack of visibility. The tower was magnificent, the true statue of justice and comfort that Jump city and its citizens relied upon. While the outside held its true dignity, in the inside a whole different story was taking place…

"Food Fight!" A skinny green titan called from atop a wooden stool. In his hand a dripping green mess oozed from his fingers, he tossed it and was a direct hit!

A half robot half man wiped the slop from his face and let it drip onto the ground, a puddle of green goop formed on the wooden panels, splattering on his mechanical feet.

"Oh no you didn't."

Reaching to his side he grabbed his weapon of choice: Reheated Mashed Potatoes. Cyborg snatched a fistful of the leftovers and launched it in the direction of the doorway where his green companion stood, a daring smirk on his face. The food soared across the room and just as Cyborg was going to do his victory dance, the door swished open and the pile of potatoes smashed into the victim, a couple inches short of the Changeling.

Beast Boy stared wide eyed at the sudden outcome and took a couple steps back then burst out laughing, bending down to steady himself from falling over.

A black glove wiped the potatoes from his face, an agitated look apparent on his features.

"Aw man Cy, great timing!" Beast Boy hollered, "Forty points!"

The boy wonder sighed, "Seriously, guys? You have time for this but not enough time practicing your fighting skills in the training room?"

"Chill out dude, were just having a little fun." Beast Boy intervened, standing up and flicking off a chunk of potatoes that fell onto Robins shoulder. The boy wonder's apparel held a wrinkled look to it. No doubt its worn condition was from punching bag downstairs in the weight room; Beast Boy could smell the sweat leaking off the suit and sensed the slight exhaustion from the constant motion.

"Yeah man, lighten up; you don't have to be so serious all the time… Now come on, you're telling me that you don't want to have a little revenge for that obvious head shot…" Cyborg teased raising his eyebrow in mockery.

Robin raised his eyebrow in return then an evil smile crossed his face. Of course slacking off his duties could give him a chance to regain his lost dignity.

"Well, if you insist…" Grabbing the mush on the floor Robin flung it over towards his cybernetic friend who immediately ducked, laughing, but was cut short as another pile of potatoes managed to smack him in the face.

Cyborg opened his eyes to see Beast Boy and Robin pointing at each other with guilty expressions. Blinking he smeared the muck off with a smile, "Could use some gravy."

The trio went out into a full frenzy of laughter and hollers as Cyborg grabbed the remaining plates, flinging them over towards his attackers who took refuge behind the couch.

"You can't hide from me!" Cyborg shouted as Beast Boy and Robin managed to grab another plate nearby for offense.

The room soon became a war zone, food flying in every direction, covering the walls, chairs and floors. The trio of boys ran and jumped around the rooms, food launched in every direction. Just as a wad of spaghetti was hurled, it vainly missed Robins head as it smacked onto the entry door, red sauce smearing down its hinges. Just as if on command the door opened revealing two teenage girls walking in side by side. They stopped and stared wide eyed at the mess before them.

"You know…on second thought, maybe we should just skip lunch today…" A violet haired female deadpanned as she took in the scene before her, a pile of pie barely missing her as it flew past towards Cyborg.

"Please, friends, is this some kind of battle? Why are you fighting?" Starfire inquired. Her voice filled with concern of her friend's well-being. She had never observed such behavior here on earth, it was strange to see them battle with food rather than eat it. She watched as Cyborg shake a can of Pepsi and spray it over Robin and Beast Boy nearby.

When none of her male companions replied she looked at Raven, "Is this a battle?" she repeated her tone more serious.

Raven cast a side glance at her female companion. "You could say that."

Starfire gasped at Ravens answer and yelled in fright, "Friends, please do not fight, I-" But she didn't get to finish as a pile of pie slammed into her face, making her topple to the ground with a yelp. Raven veered back in surprise, staring at Starfire who lay stricken on the ground.

"Um…you ok…" Raven was cut off as Starfire pulled herself up into a sitting position and used the back of her hand to smear the substance off with a blink of surprise.

"Oh man you're guna get it now… Hitting your own girlfriend..." Cyborg teased who stood nearby the couch.

"She's not my..." Robin started but stopped short as he watched the Alien Princess stand up.

Starfire's eyes lit a dangerous green and she grabbed a handful of pie, yellow goo sliding between her fingers.

Standing behind the counter stood a guilty looking Beast Boy and right beside him, Robin. The green changeling swiftly pointed a finger towards the boy wonder while in return; Robin gave a half smile, his other hand still crushing smooched potatoes.

"Heh…Whoops...Sorry Star I…wait!" Robin began.

"Every man for himself!" Beast Boy yelled, transforming into a lynx and bounding away from the scene in a hurry as Starfire sent out a sonic fast pile of goop, striking Robin directly in the chest and sending him flying over the floor, crashing onto his backside near a window.

Robin moaned, laying his hand upon his head. While he may have accidently hit the alien princess, it was nothing like what he just experienced. His chest felt like the punching bag he was training with a few minutes ago. He almost felt sorry for the inanimate object, knowing how much pain that one hit had felt.

"I think Starfire deserves the most points for knocking down the boy blunder! A hundred points to Starfire!" Beast Boy cried out. He had transformed back into his human state and he sat with his knees on the couch staring over at the two girls with a small smile.

Cyborg shrugged, "Sure, whatever BB..." He walked over to where Robin laid and reached out his hand to him.

Raven cast her gaze upon the princess as Robin managed to slowly stand up with the help of Cyborg, "Wow Starfire, you really pack a punch." Robin called his spiky black hair filled with a variety of peas, pie, and potatoes.

Starfire's eyes ceased to glow and they returned to their normal lime green pupils. Suddenly she broke out with a large smile and began to laugh.

"Did I win the battle?" Starfire asked glancing around at the team.

Robin laughed, wiping down his cape and suit.

Red lights began flashing and the siren went off, bounding throughout the room. Raven and Starfire gazed at Robin who glanced at his communicator. Cyborg looked over at the large screen in the living room while Beast Boy hoped off the couch looking over at the boy wonder with questioning eyes.

"Trouble." Robin growled looking over at his team.

Jump Cities buildings held great variety to them. Rows of single story homes lined the streets outside the city while in the heart held large towering skyscrapers. Buildings that had a hundred floors or more and could send an acrophobic home crying with fear. A loud ringing of alarm sounded through the streets as a dark figure emerged from a nearby bank, a loud explosion followed, debris flew through the air and dust circled the stranger.

"Stop right there." The hooded figure looked up, his face concealed from the outside world.

The teen titans stood on the sidewalk beyond, Robin bearing the front of the group with Starfire and Raven flying overhead. The stranger they stood before wore a large gray cloak, concealing his body and allowing only his dark gray flat boots to be revealed. His clothes resembled a certain purple companion, though the cloak he wore was much larger and completely covered his face, letting it droop over his eyes. He carried nothing with him, or for all the Titans knew. His hands were also covered by the apparel.

"So you decide to destroy the bank, but not to steal the money? What kind of crook are you?" The green changeling called from beside Cyborg.

"Your human ways amuse me." The figure replied in a hushed voice.

"I have no desire for your green paper."

Cyborg took a step forward starting up his sonic cannon. "Then tell us why you are here."

The figure merely looked at them and turned away, not interested in their challenge.

"Don't you turn away when we're talking to you, Titans go!" Robin yelled sprinting forwards towards the cloaked figure.

In a matter of seconds the stranger twisted and jumped out of the way, flicking his wrist slightly as Robin let loose many of his bombs, but instead Robin's devices fired back at him. Smoke rose in the air and blocked his vision. He coughed for a moment and without warning the strangers hands griped Robin's collar, and lifted him from the ground.

"Worthless human, you are only a distraction."

Starfire quickly took action as she began to fire warning star bolts towards the stranger, the figure dropped Robin on the ground and turned away to leave and confronted a rather large, green T-Rex. Beast boy opened his jaws and released a terrifying sound that shook the ground and the stranger's cloak. Beast Boy's fangs glittered in the sunlight and while the figure merely stared at him he seemed to take slight interest in the form.

"Interesting…" He pondered as Beast Boy stood staring at him with large green eyes. He sweat dropped when the stranger didn't move. Was he supposed to run him over? It was difficult to do such a task without a running start…Especially when the prey wasn't moving.

"Azerath Metrion Zenthos!" Dark energy formed around the figure as Raven flew nearby her eyes fixed on her victim of choice. But the stranger only laughed as Raven's energy was stripped away with a wave of his hand. He glanced over at the empath whose eyes became wide with surprise.

"How…" But she didn't have time as a wave of black energy slammed into her, sending her soaring across the road and into a nearby building. Dust and debris rose from the collision as bricks scattered across the sidewalk around her still form. Beast Boy had taken advantage of the situation and quickly shifted into a Siberian tiger, launching himself onto the stranger with a sudden strong grip. Sharp claws ripped into the cloak, tearing it on the side, and in doing so, revealing an arm covered in a mass of black fur.

The figure flung its shoulder to the side to throw the changeling off but it was too late, the massive cat had torn through his clothing, clearly angering the stranger. Something snapped as the figure finally flung Beast Boy off his back into the street. The changeling skidded in the road and rolled over as he transformed back to his human self.

As the stranger turned back towards his remaining opponents he was caught off guard by a large cannon pointed directly at him, two large starbolts above him and a staff inches away from his face.

"Who are you?" Robin asked his eyes staring directly into the stranger's hooded figure. The boy wonder's stance proved worthy of a battle, his hands grasping the bo staff with delicacy but with enough force to keep a steady grip.

"If it is so interesting to you petty human, I will oblige your wish." He gazed at Starfire and Cyborg with mock humor. "But I must advise your friends to not attack or the outcome will not be what you desire." He whispered his shadow casted towards the sun, unlike the other heroes.

"My name in your native tongue would be Zaros."

A sudden bright red light flashed beyond the trio of heroes surrounding the stranger. It flashed once, twice, three times creating an air of curiosity among them. The heroes gaze momentarily flicked over towards where Beast Boy was bending down to help Raven find her footing, knocking away loose rubble during the process. The green teen had paused, suddenly overcome with a sense of uncertainty.

Raven, who finally managed to stand up, ripped the end of her cape out from under a pile of bricks and gazed curiously towards something Beast Boy held in his gloved hand. They exchanged quick words, but none of the three titans near Zaros could quite pick up what they shared.

"What was that light?" Cyborg quarried. Starfire shrugged as Robin continued stared at the duo, preparing to call them over until another bright flash of red light engulfed the area, limiting their vision for a few short seconds.

"You fool!" Zaros shouted, grasping his sudden naked neck, startling Robin from his stupor. The cloaked figure stared venomously at Beat Boy in the distance who held a small, red trinket in the palm of his hand. Beast Boy was grasping a rather large palm sized red jewel, a leather string to it for the purpose of wearing it around one's neck. A rather large crack was visible between the middle of the stone. The green teen eyed it wearily, holding it out a little ways from his body. Raven herself looked at it as well with much interest.

"What is this thing…?" Beast Boy murmured, suddenly, as if alive, the stone pulsed in his hand sending goose bumps traveling from his palm up to his shoulder. That freaked the changeling out enough that he quickly let it slip between his fingers, allowing it to fall to the ground, shattering the jewel in half.

Suddenly Beast Boy felt the shove of Zaros as he raced over and picked up the broken pieces of his beloved object. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg quick on his heels with Starfire firing off starbolts, striking the figure square in the chest. While she usually meant no harm she couldn't stand the sight of any stranger hurting her friends and while Zaros seemed to be only fixed on his trinket, it was always best to be safe than sorry in her opinion.

"Nice hit Star!" Cyborg called, racing beside Robin towards the scene.

But while her starbolts managed to trip up the unknown stranger, he lost the grip of part of the jewel, allowing one of the halves to fall, shattering in front of Raven.

The epath was quick to respond as she watched Zaros quickly charge off the other direction, gaining terrific speed in the small amount of time, his worrisome features proved enough reason to call out her magic and create a force field. But it was not enough for an explosion of red covered her vision and with the accompaniment of screams from her friends she knew they were experiencing the same ordeal. Raven closed her eyes from the lack of visibility, spots dancing under her eyelids. She felt a pulling sensation, like the wind suddenly being knocked out of her. She tried to catch her breath but it felt like her life was being sucked out of her. Panic seeped into her bones and she felt her energy begin to overflow. Raven knew if she didn't get control fast, all there would be left of jump city would be a crater and five gravestones.

Everything soon began to slow down, her head stopped spinning and she caught her breath, taking in large gulps of air. She swore she heard the yell of Beast Boy nearby but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness.

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I know the summary for this story must not make sense if you are not aware of my past (shudder) story. But Hakuna matata (it means no worries)! It will have more of a reason when the next chapter is up and running!

Please review and help me improve my writing =) I appreciate any criticism thrown at me!


	2. The Boy who Turned into a Beast

Thanks for those who took the time to review, I really appreciate it! I know my writing isn't perfect so any encouragement at all helps a ton! Criticism is welcomed as well like always ^.^

Anywho, here's the second chapter, I hope you guys like it! I do not own TT.

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Chapter 2

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"Uhhh…"

"Stop spinning I want to get off the ride….I'm guna throw up…"

"Ugh..."

Beast Boy groaned rolling to his side in agony and opened his eyes only to shut them, tears brimming at the edge from the sudden shaft of light. A pounding rhythm drummed in his head, his ears rang and he felt like someone took a lawnmower and drove it right over him on a hot summer day.

"So this is what road kill feels like..." Beast Boy murmured to no one in particular.

Very slowly he began to open his eyes once more and light filtered into his dark green orbs. He let out a sudden gasp; sucking the air in so quick it almost seemed to choke him. Beautiful green lush grass, large shrubs filled with thorns and maple trees strewed all around him. Daises, dandelions, and daffodils danced in the breeze and a little yellow flower tickled his nose as his gazed around in awe.

"Whoa…I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore…Or Jump City for that matter…" he breathed taking in a deep breath of the fresh forest air.

His pounding headache seemed to slide away from his conscience and his ears began regaining their vibrant hearing once more as he caught the sounds of various birds, crickets and toads belching their calls to one another.

Beast Boy began to look around at his surroundings and he began to get the sinking feeling that something was missing…or perhaps someone…

"The team!"

That's right…he remembers everything clearly now, the fight, Zaros, the light…then nothing. Narrowing his grass colored eyes he couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, nothing made sense. Why would he be in Jump City at one moment then transported here to some random forest the next?

The changeling shook his head in confusion; his headache began to return with a slight dull pound. He sighed.

"Well I better start making my way back before nightfall; I wouldn't want to miss dinner…" Then he remembered it was Starfire's turn to cook and his stomach did a summersault.

Maybe missing dinner wouldn't be so bad... He tried to shake the thought of Starfire creating one of her famous homemade cuisine dishes, but he couldn't get the image of the last meal that crawled away from his plate the night before. She had called it "Purple Surprise." It definitely surprised him as he watched it slink away towards the couch with a low growl.

Maybe he'll grab a pizza before heading back and hide it before Starfire had the chance to see him sneak it into the tower.

Beast Boy finally decided to have a look around and his bones crackled in protest when the changeling began to sit up, he winced at the sound.

_Gee I wonder how long I've been laying here like this…_ he thought, feeling how sore his muscles were.

Sitting up Beast Boy pulled back his ears in confusion as noticed he was in a form of an animal, rather than his usual human shape he took when he passed out or fell asleep.

"Huh…weird I don't remember changing…"

Beast Boy shrugged it off, not too concerned and closed his eyes and stretched his paws way out in front of him, rear in the air. His spine crackled with ease and the changeling sighed with pleasure.

"Much better, now we can get down to business."

Getting to his paws Beast Boy flicked his ear to the left side, then the right trying to determine which path he should choose.

A shrill scream suddenly pierced the thick forest air. Beast boy perked up his silver ears and turned towards the distressed call directly behind him. Blinking into the darkening trees he strained to hear the sound again. When only a bird chirped he took a step forward listening intently.

Just when he was about to give up the scream came again, but this time he recognized the voice.

"Starfire!"

Beast Boy pushed off the ground, claws digging into the moist undergrowth and sending wet maple leaves floating in the air behind him as he sped towards an out grove of large gray rocks. His breath came into gasps as he pushed through the bushes and jumped over soggy logs and large tree roots. Moss clung onto every surrounding tree, its dusty, moldy smell burning into his nose. He detected the sound of running water and spotted a stream that emptied into a pond behind a trail of blueberry bushes. Beast Boy slowed down his pace and paused behind the bushes, gazing at the stream and watching a school of fish swim towards the current.

"Star? Starfire where are you?" He called looking around with quick glances to his left and right sides.

Beast Boy heard a grunt up ahead past the blueberry bushes and he gently pushed his way through the branches and exited out the other side with the shake of his fur, keeping his eyes closed so the twigs wouldn't scratch his eyes. Blinking he lifted his mussel, blue staining his ears and belly to stare directly into a bright pair of dilated lime green eyes.

"Ahh!" They both screamed in unison.

Beast Boy backed up into the berry bush again splatters of blue coating his back and forepaws. A loud splash into the murky pond water could be heard along with a shrill yelp of fright.

The changeling shook off his sudden surprise and looked to find not his female companion, Starfire, but a beautiful russet, red wolf. Fish streamed away as the massive dog entered the shallow depths and a frog leaped for cover to a nearby lily pad.

Breaking into terrified yelps the russet wolf managed to regain its footing and splash its way back out of the water, tripping over its own paws twice before clawing its way safely back on the muddy bank. Paws covered with mud and fur dripping the wolf stood there shivering with fright.

"I am so confused…" she whispered, letting out a low whine, she looked up to stare at Beast Boy directly.

"Please….can…can you help me?"

Beast Boy didn't seem to find his footing right, everything started to spin again. This wolf, _she sounds just like… no it can't be… _He shook his head, this must be a dream… he can't explain it any other way. But why does it seem too real? Why can he feel the grass and pick up all these scents of somewhere he has never been? The birds overhead began to sing and he flicked his ears, everything just seemed too lifelike. It was freaking him out a little.

He looked back up, the russet wolf continued to stare at him with large, frightened eyes. Her fur clung onto her body; you could see her well-defined muscles that shaped around her torso. Brown mud stuck to her paws and underbelly leaving a dripping brown stain under her abdomen. Beast Boy studied her for a moment, taking in her most distinct features. Her eyes were the same color as Starfire and her voice matched her dead on, even her coat color seemed to resemble a certain orange look about it. It was a crazy idea but Beast Boy was running out of those quickly, not like he had many to start with…

There was only one way to find out.

"Star… Starfire?" His voice cracked for a moment, his initial shock beginning to wear off.

The wolf flicked her ears in surprise, "How do you know my name? Do…do I know you?" Her voice was weary as if she had just finished running a marathon and was ready to plop down on the couch for an hour beauty nap. She then paused as if thinking, his voice registering in her mind.

"Beast Boy…friend is that you?" She whispered, her voice rattled from shock and her paws shaking as if she was about to fall over from the sudden revelation.

Pulling himself free from the bush, Beast Boy raced forward over to the russet wolf and leaned against her on one side to keep her from falling down, his paws inevitably sinking in the small patch of mud Starfire stood in.

"Yeah it's me Star. It's alright…" he paused unsure how to respond in a situation like this. The Tameranian gazed at him with intense green eyes, confusion and worry danced within them.

"But…friend you do not look like you… are you sure you are Beast Boy…?"

"What do you mean I don't look like myself? I turn into animals all the time Star you know that." Beast Boy stated with a smile, his ears pulled back. He's changed into multiple animals throughout his life; she must have seen him in canine form at one point during their battles. He really began to doubt that this was even reality, Starfire wasn't this dull.

_Weird dream._ Beast Boy laughed. _Maybe I should lay off the tofu burgers for a while…_

"But…isn't your fur usually green?"

Beast Boy paused in his thought process and stared at her. What did she mean by that?

Beast Boy gazed over across the large pond stretched behind the pair, a reflection of a large silver wolf, covered with blotches of blue stains and fern colored orbs gazed back at him. He blinked. Then he began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Starfire asked, veering away from her friend in concern.

"Don't you get it Star? This is all a dream, it's all fake!" He continued to laugh, sweeping mud across the area with his paws for emphasis, spraying muck all across her red coat.

"But it seems awfully real to me…" She replied flicking the mud from her right paw.

But Beast Boy didn't listen; he stood up, "Look, if this was all real then why can I do this?"

Looking towards a large oak tree that towered at the side nearby the blueberry bushes he leaped out of the mud and ran towards it, his claws raking up leaves and debris, tossing them in the air.

_It's just a dream; I can do anything I want here! I can even run through this tree if I want to!_

The changeling closed his eyes, dug his paws deep in the earth, letting the dirt drift over his claws before pushing off the ground again.

_It's just a dream…It's just a-_

**BAM!**

Beast Boy slammed headfirst into the tree, bouncing off like a tennis ball on a racket, and fell to the forest floor, dazed.

"Um… I still don't understand…" Starfire called and looked at her friend, eyes round with uncertainty. She watched him slowly get to his paws once again.

Beast Boy snorted, slightly irritated and whipped around and raced over towards a log jammed at the edge of the stream that emptied in the pond. Bounding on top of the wooden surface he reached down and dunked his head in the water, his sliver, and floppy ears began to flow in the current.

Opening his eyes underwater he watched a group of tadpole's race past his jaws to the calm pond waters. Bubbles blew from his nose and mouth and he felt a pit of dread seep into his bones. His breath was running out, he needed air.

Raising his mussel from the water he let the water drip down and splash onto the surface creating a ripple that was soon washed away from the current.

"Beast Boy...please…stop this nonsense! Why do you act like this?" Starfire shouted from where she stood on the bank, her fur fluffed out slightly from his sudden change in personality.

_I thought for sure I would wake up…_

Turning towards the she-wolf he carefully griped the log until he arrived at the log's edge on the bank. Beast Boy carefully slid off, claws slicing through the wood on his way down and turned towards Starfire, unaware of another presence that was exiting the log from inside.

"Friend, watch out-"But Starfire's warning was too late, Beast Boy lost all connection to his senses as a small black and white mammal entered his eyesight.

"Aw cra-"

But it was too late for him; the skunk had been frightened from all the movement and sensed Beast Boy as a threat. Lifting its tail, Beast Boy was partially covered and the animal quickly hobbled out of sight.

Everything burned, he couldn't see, couldn't smell, and everything tasted terrible. Beast Boy yelled in agony and quickly backtracked to the pond, splashing his way up to his belly and dunking his head under the water whipping his head side to side and rubbing his paws fiercely against his face. When that didn't work he worked his way deeper in the water and began to roll in the water bed, splashing mud and weeds in every direction.

Starfire watched from the bank as Beast Boy flailed in the water's edge. She tried to take a step forward but she crumpled from the weight, falling into the mud bank. She wasn't used to this, how can anyone walk with four legs? She shook the mud that had sprayed onto her mussel and watched as Beast Boy climbed out of the water after a few minutes, soaked. His eyes were half open.

Padding over to Starfire he sighed and sat down nearby, head hung from the slight pain that seared in his eyes and nose but it was slowly ebbing away from him dunking in the water.

"Well…I know I'm taking the longest bath in history when I get back to the tower. I can already see the tin man teasing me about this already!" Beast Boy laughed slightly and looked up towards Starfire who stood covered in mud by the attempts of walking on all four paws.

He held in a bout of laughter at her willingness. "Here Star let me help you out there…" Padding over towards the russet wolf he leaned against her, only for her to veer away slightly.

"Oh right…the smell…" Beast Boy backed up, away from the alien princess with his ears folded back.

"Oh no Beast Boy! You're smell is nothing to be ashamed of! In fact that is the same odor that a Royal Zorggphlem produces back on Tameran! Our people enjoy its fragrance very much! I had no idea your people had such a scent on Earth!" She leaned forward to smell the odor, in which Beast Boy raised his paw and veered away in uncertainty.

Beast Boy stared at her, "So…you're saying you like the skunk stink?"

Starfire nodded, "Oh yes, it is actually quite rare in my planet, wait till I share with them the glorious news!" She laughed with delight.

"I can just see it now, Skunk Spray, you'll be so happy to wear it, it'll make ya cry. " Beast Boy replied, giving off a large toothy wolf grin.

This caused Starfire to erupt in a fit of giggles where she sat, almost toppling back in the mud bank.

Beast Boy gave a hearty laugh and padded up next to her again, "Need help?"

"Yes Please."

"Here follow my paw steps…" Beast Boy leaned up against Starfire who was caked in mud and lifted his left paw for her to mimic. "You have to balance your weight on all four legs, not just a couple..." She placed her paw next to his, mud squishing between her claws.

"Alright now the back paws…." She lifted up her back foot; almost losing balance then placed it down again. After a few minutes the pair managed to pad out of the mud and out into the grass. Beast Boy sat down and watched as Starfire practiced taking one paw step at a time until she finally managed to slowly walk to and from Beast Boy.

"This is most…difficult..." Starfire exclaimed as she paused directly in front of her male companion, "Yet, you do this all the time… I cannot imagine…" She trailed off for a moment in thought. "Friend can you…can you change your shape?" a spark of hope entered in her voice and she stared at him, waiting for his answer.

Beast Boy's eyes widened, of course with all the thoughts about it being a dream he completely forgot about his powers! Why didn't he think of it before? Closing his eyes he imagined himself back as his human form. Though he felt nothing he still opened his eyes and looked down to find his large silver paws still attached.

He tried again but this time an eagle. He imagined the large wingspan and the hollow bone structure the bird bared throughout its wings. He could feel the feathers blow in the wind as he would soar through the sky, his vision enhanced and a large yellow beak and claws formed for catching unsuspecting fish and other small prey. He could feel the change, the morphing of his bones. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Starfire waiting in anticipation, a wide smile on her features.

Beast Boy gave her an odd look then noticed that he had not changed, he was still the same. He frowned slightly being restricted in his powers wasn't the best situation he could imagine himself in. He felt powerless and for a moment he panicked. But it didn't last long for when Beast Boy looked back up at Starfire who waited so patiently he knew he needed to keep his cool, for her sake. If he started freaking out, there was no doubt she would panic as well. They didn't need that in a place like this.

"No go on the morpho," Beast Boy woofed giving a small half smile.

Starfire looked disappointed; her tail fell to the floor for a moment with a sigh.

"Hey, why the long face? Don't forget I'm a master with canines, it's pretty much my second skin." He laughed letting his tail sweep to the side and bent down in exaggeration, rump in the air, teeth bared playfully.

"Besides," He continued, "with you walking like that, you're going to be a master runner, especially when you have the best teacher in town." Beast Boy boasted.

Starfire looked back up and smiled, "Thanks, I am…just sad."

Beast Boy understood her sadness, but there was little he could do. First things were first they needed to figure out where they were located and once they do, find a place to rest. Something told him they weren't going to make it back to Jump City tonight.

"So…Starfire…any idea where we might be?" he knew it was a shot in the dark, but who knows, Starfire's surprised him before.

"Earth." She replied matter-of-factly.

Beast boy howled with laughter and gave a toothy wolf smile.

Starfire gave him a confused look and tilted her ears sideways. "Are we not on earth?"

"Yeah, Star we are on Earth but-"Beast Boy stopped as the nearby blueberry bushes rustled, a couple berries fell to the floor and painted the dirt blue. Beast Boy whipped around and stood his ground, staring down the bush with narrowed eyes.

"What-what was that?" Star whispered behind him.

Beast Boy just then realized how stupid he is being, him and Starfire wouldn't stand a chance against a forest predator. Turning back around he quickly pushed Starfire away with his head and replied, "Let's get out of here." he growled urgently then paused when he saw her eyes dilate twice their size.

"I'm going to put your new walking skills to the test, and I'll be the one grading ya so you better do good, I don't accept anything lower than an A!" He added quickly with a laugh, nudging her forward while also trying to get out the area as quick as possible.

Starfire nodded as her internal fear exploded upon the changeling while he guided her around the pond and away from the rustling bushes. Their paws picked up speed as they pushed through the green undergrowth and although Starfire tended to stumble and trip over her paws several times, Beast Boy stayed patient with her, nudging her forward when she lost her footing and encouraged her with words of praise.

Soon Beast Boy began to slow down and he paused next to a large stone covered in moss. He sighed and turned to the alien princess a serious look on his face.

"The forest is full of dangerous things Star, always look behind you. You never know what could be lurking behind the next tree or bush." Beast boy growled quietly.

Starfire stared at the changeling with wide eyes and a shiver ran down her back from the sudden knowledge he seemed the need to share with her. It was very unusual to see this serious side, she knew him as the jokester, prankster and all around nice guy. But serious? She was unsure and it made her uneasy knowing that Beast Boy, the most relaxed member on the team was in a word, alarmed by their circumstances. Something told her he has been in a place like this before.

Starfire looked behind her from where they had come but only saw the dim shape of the far away pond. It was going to be a long day she could just feel it.

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Just for those who were wondering about Beast Boy's and Starfire's relationship, they see each other as close family members, so in a way Beast Boy does love Starfire, but not that kind of love; Just sisterly and brotherly love. : )

Well Tata for now, if you leave a review you will be the most awesome person out there! I will also post a bit faster if you do ;)

**Mia


	3. A Raven's Plight

Hey guys this is my longest chapter yet so far, I have a feeling they might be this long or longer from now on. But they may fluctuate around too, I guess it just depends on when the story sounds good to end, and like always I don't own anything. Hope you like this chapter!

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Chapter 3

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A sharp sting flowed throughout Raven's tired, weary body. Something sharp had poked at her side. Raven ignored the nuisance, feeling sleep call back to her and lull her into a peaceful state of dreams. But again, something jabbed at her side, raking against her skin.

Raven moaned and tightened her eyes; she was too tired to get up this morning. She deserved the extra peace sleep provided her. Did her teammates not realize that? Sleeping in a little longer than normal this morning wouldn't cause any issues seeing as she was always the first one up anyway, waiting on her teammates to drag themselves in the lobby for the normal breakfast routine. It won't kill them to wait on her today.

For once she felt peaceful and free and someone was trying to rob her of that. Do they not understand she must fight day and night with her emotions, keeping them from slipping out of control? When she finally finds her emotions at rest someone thinks it's funny to wake her up!

Raven shifted in her dazed state as a small voice murmured near her left side, first soft, then much louder.

"Hello…"

It was a female's voice, she could tell from the high pitch. It sounded similar to Starfire's cheery, excited voice when she was in a great mood, and Raven was not in the mood for Starfire's cheerfulness. It was too early. Didn't she have better things to do? Now that she thought of it, why was she in her room and what was so important that the Tameran Princess couldn't wait until she was in the lobby? If it was an emergency Robin would have set the alarm off, not send Starfire to wake her. She moaned, if Starfire came to beg her to go to another sale to the mall, she'd shit a brick. Raven remembered Black Friday the year before she pictured herself rising at four in morning again to please her female friend by "partaking in the largest sale in the universe." Raven shuddered, standing in line for hours wasn't on her checklist this morning, nor will it ever be.

The stinging came again and Raven was losing her patience, it was beginning to throb from the constant pressure. Why can't Starfire bug her another day? Today she felt like she could hibernate for a year.

"Hey… hey you; are you going to sleep forever? Get up!"

Eyes snapped open as Raven snarled but she was immediately cut short as her mouth fell agape and sucked in a giant gulp of air that tasted like pine needles and grass. She was not in her room in the titan's tower as she had originally thought, but instead, somewhere outdoors, in the woods perhaps. Nor was there a jumpy red haired alien begging her to wake up, or anybody else for that matter.

Ravens violet eyes scanned her surroundings; trees by the hundreds were strewn all around her and small piles of rocks clustered around a couple of the pines. A rather large maple tree was stationed beside her, little helicopter seeds were strewn all around the area. The sky held a light blue tint above her, and white puffy clouds rolled lazily across the sky.

Raven felt confusion take over her foggy mind, and she began to retrace her steps of the night before. She remembered watching Beast Boy and Cyborg race against one another in one of their games after devouring many slices of pizza, and of course their shouting was enough to drive her to her room for some peace and quiet. She bit her lip, letting her mind wander to the battle the next morning and suddenly everything hit her at once. She vaguely remembered Beast Boy reaching down to grab her hand and pull her from the pile of bricks and debris. Something had glowed when she found her balance and saw that he grasped something red in his palm.

Raven hadn't seen anything like it before, but she felt the power and while she was surprised it had transported her from Jump City, she was completely unaware of her surroundings and why she was dumped off in a place like this. Suppose she should just be lucky she was alive rather than pondering over the current unknown circumstances. With all the power she had felt from that piece of jewel she thought for sure she was going to die.

But now only one question seemed to fill her mind as she continued to stare at the scenery around her.

_'Where am I?'_

"Hiya!"

"Ahh!" Raven screamed as white and fluffy came into her vision. She pushed away, only to fall back down onto her side. A fit of giggles overcame the intruder and with a sweet playful voice she said "You're funny! Do it again!"

Raven could only stare at where the white fluff was just a minute ago and gazed around for the unknown voice. It was the same voice that had woken her up!

"Where are you?" Raven called as she scanned the forest floor. Only the wind answered her call, rustling the trees and sending little helicopter seeds twirling down to the ground. Whatever it was seemed to have run off and Raven sighed in frustration, her chance to find out where she located and it was gone.

'_Just great.'_

Raven suddenly felt her back caving in as a weight slammed in behind her, pushing her face first into the dirt but the weight immediately left as it bounded above her, skidding to a halt.

"Boo!"

Raven practically jumped out of her skin as a young wolf pup pounced on the ground in front of her gazing at Raven with mischief. She had bright blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight and beautiful white fur that clung to her skin. Raven guessed that she was only six months old, maybe older, perhaps younger. She was never good with animals anyway, that was always in Beast Boy's field of interest.

Raven shook her head in disbelief as she assessed the situation before her. Was she dreaming? No, it wasn't possible; her dreams were never this real. This was reality. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Yeah, that's it. Her powers must have somehow converted this pup's language to English and…no that just sounds ridiculous. Why would her powers do that anyway? She had no reason for her powers to be out of control, she felt fine.

"You just talked?!" Raven stuttered stupidly. Then regained her composure, letting out a couple coughs and clearing her throat, she must be going crazy.

The pup giggled, "Of course I do silly! Don't we all?" She smiled, her tail wagged side to side with obvious joy to see her. "Now that you are awake, we can finally start getting to know each other!" She paused, her voice speeding up with excitement, "So…which pack do you belong to huh? Huh?"

Raven still couldn't strip her eyes off the pup's mouth, it was moving alright, and there was nothing nearby to speak to her in clear English. Raven was dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

"A pack, which one do you belong to?" The white ball of fluff repeated.

Raven felt her mouth go up and down but no words came out. What did the pup mean by a pack? The question seemed to catch her off guard and she fumbled with words until she settled with a decent answer or in her case a throwback question.

"Pack? What are you talking about?" This pup was mistaken she didn't belong to a pack, wasn't that for wolves? Can this dumb pup see that she was not a wolf? This morning was turning out to be worse then she had originally thought.

The wolf pup shook her head from a nearby mosquito and blinked, "You know a pack….your home?"

Raven blinked and looked around, feeling out of place and a loss for words. She began to rake her brain for answers. What _did _she know so far? Well she was in the middle of the woods, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and she was stranded with a psycho talking wolf pup. This situation was just getting better and better.

Talking wolf…talking animals

Ravens mind slammed on the brakes as she thought of Beast Boy. He could change into any animal he pleased, talk to the species and live among them if he so wished. Did he have a part in this? Raven has known Beast boy to be an expert prankster, just not good with the technical stuff. She remembered very well the day he covered Starfire with oil, even though the prank was set up for Cyborg.

"Beast boy if this is one of your tricks this isn't funny." Raven called looking around. If he was pulling any pranks on her, he would pay.

"Beast boy?" The pup asked tilting its head side-ways. "Who's Beeeest boy?"

"No one." Raven growled in annoyance flicking her gaze back to her.

The pup giggled again. "Ok!" Looking to her side she saw her tail slide across the ground and she began to chase it around in circles, growling playfully. Raven watched her with mild interest; she could hear her rapid puppy breath as she ran in circles, her cute paws littered with dust and debris from the forest floor. The little creature looked real enough to her, nothing special, just an ordinary…talking wolf.

Ok so what if it wasn't him? So far she had no knowledge that Beast boy had any other powers besides shape-shifting. If he wasn't doing this to her, then what was? How was this young pup able to speak to her? Surly she didn't acquire some of his powers! She shook her head, _'nonsense, now I'm just thinking crazy.'_

Raven's violet eyes traced over her snow white fur. "How can you talk to me?" she asked, this time more direct.

The little white pup stopped chasing her tail and stood on all four wobbly paws and gave her a confused look, fur fluffed from her excitement.

"Well," she dragged on her consonants, "I guess it's just a wolf thing, but between you and me I think it's something more! I mean we can't talk to ALL of the animals in the forest ya know? Too bad I bet it would help with all the fights and stuff." The little she-pup took in a big gulp of air, managing to get it all out in once breath.

"Wait, what do you mean a wolf thing?" Raven stated slowly, unsure where this was going.

"Um…" she looked at her then giggled, "Us silly! Were wolves don't you know that already?!" she continued to laugh, her tail waving in the air.

"I am not a wolf." She stated, slightly agitated.

The pup looked at her up and down and nodded her head slowly, "Oh right, you must be one of those coyotes then. They're real funny looking! Or so I've heard…"

"Coyote? What? No, I'm not a coy-"

"I got this, you're a badger!"

"Wait…" the pup paused after seeing the shock on Raven's features, "No, that's not right…maybe a fox…no…"

Raven cut her off with a sharp snap "Look, I'm not a dog alright."

The wolf pup stopped and burst out laughing giving her a big toothy smile, "Well, you're one huge possum then!" She became overcome with giggles, falling to the forest floor and stirring up the leaves.

"No…I'm a human! Well sort of."

The pup continued with a giggly voice, "I love this game! I used to play this with my littermates all the time!" She paused to catch her breath, "So if you're a human then I want to be a naked mole rat! I heard about those! I heard they were so ugly your eyes would burn right through your skull to your brain! Then your brain would rot until you could no longer think for yourself and you had to commit suicide and-"

Raven's hearing soon became fuzzy, her spine tingled and she swallowed her rising nerves. Taking one last look at the pup she slowly began to gaze downward, hoping to see her gray shoes and dark blue cape wrapped around her ankles. But her hopes were demolished as she saw a set of gray paws placed neatly where her hands should be. She felt the blood rush to her head as she quickly clamored to her paws and gazed all around her with quick swift jerks of her head. She took in her features with one swipe. Her gray fur was plastered to her body and she did a quick circle seeing the fur across her back to the very tip of her tail. She pulled the end of her tail and gasped as she watched it move to the side. She felt like screaming but she swallowed the fear and began to count backwards from ten, closing her eyes until the world stopped spinning and opened her eyes.

"No… This isn't right!"

She quickly turned around and felt her paw hold slip as she toppled to the ground letting out a frightened yelp.

Raven took in a slow deep breath and then another, she must be in a dream. There was no other explanation for it. She felt her whole body go cold and she shivered slightly as the wind tickled her nose sending chills up and down her spine.

Raven brushed her paw in the grass in front of her and gazed at it with hard eyes she could smell everything, feel everything, see everything, and hear everything. It was too real, too freaky.

She then began to notice a hollow empty feeling inside the bottom of her gut. Something was missing. She tried to put her paw on it, but Raven shook her head feeling colder every second that passed by.

"-and that's why my mom always tells me to never trust a rat!" The little pup exclaimed, wagging her tail and cocking her snowy white head to the side staring at Raven with curious blue eyes.

"Why are you laying on the floor for?"

Raven looked up and let out a low growl, "Because I felt like it."

"Oh..." the pup woofed and sat down.

Raven slowly took one paw at a time as she began to stand once again; she wobbled unsteadily and gazed around, "So where am I?"

The white pup flicked her tail to the side then looked around herself, "Dunno, I was hoping you would tell me."

"Wonderful."

The pup smiled and barked, "But I do know what we are in! We are in a forest! My mom told me the wolves here eat ants for breakfast and they crawled up and down their throats!"

Raven gave the pup a weird look then let out a long sigh, she might as well get going if she was going to find shelter, food and water all before nightfall.

Raven cast a glance at the little pup. From what she could get out of their conversation she was just a lost pup away from her mother. She would be just a burden if she came along.

'_I just need to keep her occupied so I can slip away…and hope she won't follow me…'_

"You mom seems to tell you a lot of stories…" Raven began.

"Yeah, she sure does!"

Raven striped her gaze from the pup and looked all around her. She noticed in front of her lay what seemed to be thorn bushes. Raven shivered thinking about going through those suckers. She would not leave there without a scar or two. To the left of her seemed to be a decent path, full of trees and saplings. The grass was delicate and it seemed to be the perfect way, which is until Raven noticed something slithering nearby the trunk. A brown, leathery, scaled creature was slinking over a deformed trunk. Raven automatically took a step back and shook herself, snake.

Letting out a breath she looked to her right and noticed a long row of pine trees and maples. But as she looked beyond it seemed clear of any obstacles that would get in her way. Raven gazed carefully at it then nodded, this was the path to take she was sure of it. She brought her eyes back to the little pup.

"Speaking of your mom why don't you go run back to her, she is probably worried about you…" Raven replied as she turned towards the path she had chosen and began to trot towards that direction with careful paw steps, gazing down and watching her place each step attentively in front of her.

The pup's eyes widened and she pulled back her ears, "Oh…yeah…" She paused looking to her side and noticing Raven beginning to wander away. "Hey, where are you going?" She shouted.

Raven picked up her pace as she clambered over a tree trunk, spraying leaves into the air and pushing through some dense grass. Something sharp jammed into her paw pad and she cringed but didn't slow her pace.

"W-wait! Come back that's-"

Raven didn't hear the pup's last words as she felt the ground suddenly give in and a giant rush of air slammed into her stomach. Raven screamed as she felt the air press against her body and spread out as she crashed into a muddy terrain with a loud **bang**. The color brown filled her vision as muck sprayed all across her cold, gray fur. She felt the mud ooze between her claws and drip across her back. A drop of muck splattered from her mussel to the floor with a soft squish sound.

Blinking her eyes open, Raven groaned and looked around to only see brown walls covered with dirt, mud and bits of strewn blades of grass.

"You must be really embarrassed to fall into that leaf trap; I saw that one a mile away! There all over this place!"

Raven looked up and saw a white head peeking down at her from the top; her claws griped the side of the grass as she dipped her head down into the hole.

"Whoa. I bet this one is the biggest yet, beat the last one I saw! It must be at least six feet deep!"

Raven shifted her body weight and pulled free from the mud and sat down looking up. She growled in annoyance, "Well this adds up to be the worst day ever, it may even beat my last birthday."

The pup laughed at Ravens comment, "Yeah I bet so! But don't worry, I won't tell anyone what happened I promise."

Raven felt her throat tighten as she let out another growl of annoyance.

_Why can't she just run off and leave me alone?_

Raven gazed around the pit. It was manmade because she could see the shovel marks where someone had dug their way down. In fact the more she looked at the marks they seemed to be just big enough for a paw hold. Ripping her left paw free from the mud with a loud squish she shook twice then ripped the right one, shaking it as well. Raven cringed, feeling pain searing from her paw and travel up to her shoulder.

"Ouch." She murmured and turned her paw upwards to see where the pain was coming from. Dark red painted her gray and brown paw, little droplet of blood trickled down between her claw and dripped down onto the ground. Something seemed to have lodged itself inside her pad and she looked closer but it was hard to tell what it was with all the mud and blood covering her paw pad. She shook her paw and droplets of blood sprayed the air with mud slapping her face. She bent forward and grasped the object between her teeth and pulled it out with a gasp. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, opening them again she saw a bit of a red sparkle between her teeth.

'_Is this a fragment of that jewel?!'_

She gazed at it for a moment unsure what to do, should she leave it or risk carrying it along with her? Who knows what this little fragment could do considering what currently happened. After a moment of consideration, she concluded it was best to keep it with her.

Raven stood on the top layer of the sticky muck; the little piece of jewel grasped in her jaws and slowly began to pad up to the nearest side wall. She gazed up towards the bright, blue sky with layers of trees poking through the edge of her vision and sighed, this wasn't going to be easy. Standing on her hind paws she swayed for a moment, waving her two arms for balance until pushing them firmly on the muddy wall and found a small grip. Using her back legs she clawed up an inch, her claws dug deep into the dirt and mud. She could feel the mud trickling between her claws and she shook slightly from the effort of holding her body upright.

The pup looked at her and sat down gazing inside the large hole. She dangled both of her pretty white paws inside the trap and laid her head down watching Raven climb.

Raven reached up with her paw and found the next best grip and pulled herself up slowly, and carefully. The mud was splattering all over her underbelly and she could feel her hold slipping from the muds slick surface as she made her way to the surface.

The pup lifted her head and suddenly smiled, "You know I love mud! Back where I was, you would never see any mud, except the occasional brown snow. But you don't want to step in that! I learned the hard way-" the white pup closed her eyes and went into her story as Raven took another step up.

Raven ignored her ranting as she released her grip on her left paw and reached up for another paw hold. She could see the grass outlining where her next hold would be. But as Raven released her grip on her back right paw she found it to be inevitably stuck. She pulled a little harder with no luck and only produced a soft squish of the mud that trapped her back paw.

Raven sighed with frustration, '_Why mud? Why couldn't it be something softer like snow? I'll even just take some good ole dirt right about now.'_

Raven yanked harder and successfully pulled her back paw free, but with all the force it took to jerk her limb out, it caused the she-wolf to lose her balance and topple back down into the mud. Muck sprayed in all directions as crashed to the floor on her backside, her gray coat completely masked brown. Raven flipped herself over and pulled herself free from the mud. She tried to climb to the top again a bit faster and less patient then before. But her claws just slid right through the mud halfway, causing her to slowly slide back down to the bottom in a sitting position.

"Well this is fantastic." Raven growled with the piece of jewel grasped at the edge of her jaw. She flicked a piece of fur that dangled in front of her eyes with her uninjured paw and set it back down again.

"So that's how I came up with that brown is wrong and white is right, neat huh?"

Raven gazed upwards towards the pup who sat staring at her with bright blue eyes. She shook her head allowing droplets of mud to spray from her ear tips. She was feeling colder by the minute as the mud began to cake her body, causing her fur to stick up in various directions. She could feel the cold seep down deep within her bones.

"Man, I bet its getting cold down there, you know I've never been in one of those, but I bet someone could die down there. I've heard of it…I…."

The pup stopped and gave a serious look, narrowing her eyes she took a slow sniff into the cool afternoon air and perched up her snowy white ears. Quick as the wind the she-wolf scrambled to her white paws, her eyes dilated twice their size.

"Hide!" She screamed as she backed up and with wide, scared eyes.

"Hide? Hide where?! I'm in a freaking hole for Azars sake!" Raven called out to her with annoyance, her voice slurred slightly from holding the jewel fragment.

"Um…blend in with your surroundings!" With that the pup took off towards the trees.

Raven gave a huff and shook her head side to side, whatever it was that spooked her wouldn't want to come down here, it was far too deep and cold for any animal's interest.

'_Well, at least I won't have to deal with her anymore.'_

The forest suddenly seemed to be completely hushed. The birds stopped singing and she could no longer hear any crickets or frogs as she had earlier. She pulled her ears back and let her gaze rake the top of the pit, blades of grass blew quietly in the wind and a little dandelion flew overhead and landed somewhere on the other side.

'_I need to get out of here before nightfall…' _She thought as she shivered slightly from the mud plastered on her skin.

Something cracked from up above, Raven's ears perked and she stared at the top of the pit, staying as quiet as possible. The sound came again, then again. It sounded like branches were being stepped on and leaves were smashed by some large animal. She began to wonder if there were bears in this forest or large cats, anything that big could scare off a little wolf in no time flat. Her ears swiveled to the side as she caught gruff, low sounds. She crouched lower into the mud with a squish and kept her eyes peeled to the skyline.

"Let's see if we caught anything this time that is actually worth something."

Ravens eyes stretched wide as heard the familiar English language hit her ears.

"Yeah Pa, remember that squirrel…"

'Shut up."

"Yes sir."

The sound of wood cracking and leaves crunching halted and Raven could feel the tingle of mud as it began to crust with her crouched there still as a rock.

"Whoa, pa come here look at this!" A young teenager with dark brown hair and freckles was kneeling over the edge, his hands gripping the wet soil.

Raven heard a click and another older human appeared overhead, a white male with large hands bent down next to the boy, he held a type of gun in his hands, what type, Raven was unsure. She felt her heartbeat race for a moment, unsure of what to do but wait; she had no chance of escape now.

"Mmm, now this is what I am talking about. Wolf fur, it pays very well in the market son, don't forget about that."

"Yes sir."

The boy disappeared and in a few moments returned with a long wooden ladder, it looked like it was carved by hand and not made in a factory.

Raven didn't have time to act as the man grabbed ahold of his weapon and aimed it towards her. Raven flattened her ears too tired to move as a small pop echoed around her. Something sharp dug into her flank and she gasped, scrambling to her paws. She twisted to her side and yanked the needle out only to hear another pop and another sting on her neck. Everything started to become blurry and she twisted to her side only to fall down, her head pounding and her paws and shoulders becoming numb.

"Bring that cage boy!"

"Yes sir!"

Something slammed into the ground and she squinted her eyes seeing the man climb slowly down on the ladder the boy had just dropped.

Raven's thoughts became blurred as she watched the ladder move or perhaps there were three ladders… She shook her head trying to clear her mind but it only proved to worsen her state as her hearing began to ring. She blinked twice, three times and watched as two large muddy hands reached down and grabbed her, lifting her in the air and slowly pulled to the surface. She tried to move her paws to get away once reaching the grassy outcrop but they seemed to not want to obey her. Her whole body felt paralyzed.

She felt herself being pushed into a small enclosure, and a loud voice boomed overhead, "Hey Pa lookie at what's in its mouth there! It sure looks shiny!"

Raven felt the jewel fragment being pulled from out of her jaws and she tried to snap it back but her world was slowly fading, she couldn't move, she couldn't think. She was so tired she just needed to sleep…Raven blinked her eyes, tears blurring at the edges from exhaustion. She opened them once more, seeing the ground move from underneath her paws. As Raven took one last look up she saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her from within the shadows of a thorn bush.

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This was probably the only chapter where I didn't make a huge change to; I kept the chapter the same besides of adding in some paragraphs and taking out a few as well fixing tons of grammatical errors! Hopefully you enjoyed it! If so leave me a review I love hearing feedback!

**Mia


	4. Confessions

Hey guys thanks for the reviews! I must tell you that this story is very different from my other new version I had recently uploaded yesterday. I did some fan fiction reading recently and came to the conclusion that this story is a very different style of writing from many of the others. I like to add a lot of detail, kind of like a novel would, to paint a picture for you guys as you read. But sometimes it's hard to get into a story without direct dialogue, so I did an experiment and uploaded a story with more dialogue then description. I was surprised that people actually like it. So I decided to add a twist to this story, bringing in more interesting dialogue with this chapter, blah, blah, blah right?

Well here's the chapter I hope you enjoy it! I loved writing this one, I just feel like it is the best one yet and only to get better! I hope you feel the same way! Oh and I obviously don't own anything.

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Chapter 4

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Beast Boy had finally came to the conclusion that this was not a fantasy brought about his mind. It was far too real for it not to be. He could feel the mud caked on his paws and the wind that pulled at his fur. It reminded him of his occasionally nightly runs in the Jump City Park. After Terra's unfortunate incident he found himself enjoying the quiet of the night, away from the questioning eyes of his friends. They pitied him, he knew it. Beast Boy could tell the difference after her death of how his friends treated him. They were nicer, more careful with their words. They never brought up her name. He was grateful, but despised the fact that they felt sorry for him. Of course he would pity himself too if he wasn't the one who experienced the heartbreak. Every night for three weeks he snuck out of the Titans Tower and flew to the park. He felt he could relieve any stress by just running and being alone with his thoughts. He didn't want his friends to worry so he always chose the late night hours where everyone was asleep. Although, unlike the park, this forest was full of dangers… he's never traveled through here and he expects the unexpected.

Looking over his shoulder he watched Starfire pad along behind him, tail dragging in the dirt. She looked so unlike herself… sad, lonely, and fearful. Everything spooked her, a rustle of a bush or a call of a blue jay and she immediately rushed over to his side. When the wind picked up her eyes grew twice their size and her fur fluffed out like a giant cotton ball. He has never seen her in this state of mind before and it tugged at his heartstrings to see her so down. Maybe he should try to tell her a joke, lift her spirits a little? He thought for a moment but nothing came to mind, maybe this depressing mood was getting to him as well… Shaking off the thought he slowed down his paw steps to walk next to her. He gave her a smile, in which she returned but it vanished quickly as she looked back down at her paws covered in dirt and mud. Since they began their walk an hour ago they had shared little to no words, he felt an awkward silence last between the pair and decided to just stick to his thoughts after failing a conversation starter over dinner. He didn't know exactly what the Tameran Princess preferred to talk about; he never really paid much attention. She was always bubbly and talkative anyway so he never really had to discuss similar topics they enjoyed. Now that he thought of it, did they even have anything in common?

"Friend, I am most apologetic for my silence, I am…quite upset." Starfire suddenly spoke, breaking the thick quiet air, her gaze still stuck on her moving front paws.

Beast Boy cast his gaze over towards the Russet wolf; did she know what he was thinking? He laughed to himself and replied, "No problemo Starfire, I mean, it's not every day were stuck in a forest, trapped in a canines body. I understand." He smiled letting his tail flick her side.

"I am grateful you understand." Starfire replied then continued, "Do…do you think the others are out here too?"

Beast Boy looked over at her worried eyes and he sighed, "I'm not sure…maybe…but if they are I bet they can handle themselves. Who knows maybe they're waiting for us right now!" A little bit of hope sparked within him, but it was small, knowing there was a slight chance they will find the others soon, but he had to have hope or all would be naught.

Starfire considered what he said, "I have been worried for them since I've awoken. I-I hope they are having more luck then us… and maybe you are right Beast Boy… Maybe we are the only ones who are lost." She gave a half smile in return.

There was a small silence and a couple crickets joined in. After a few minutes Beast Boy looked over at Starfire again, an idea sparked inside his mind.

"You miss Robin don'tcha?" Beast Boy inquired, letting a sly smile form at the edge of his mouth.

Starfire stopped in her tracks and whipped her head up towards Beast Boy who continued to walk a couple more paw steps before pausing to turn around and look at her.

"Why would you say I miss him rather than anyone else? I miss all my friends!" She replied a little taken aback at Beast Boy's comment.

"Aw come on Star you know you have a soft spot for him…" Beast Boy teased sitting down and letting his tail sweep to the side around his paws.

"I-I suppose I have a soft spot…" she paused for a moment, "I mean we do share the couch quite often and sometimes we'll visit each other in our rooms and sit on the bed and..."

"Whoa, Whoa! I don't need to know that!" Beast Boy interrupted putting up a silver paw for emphasis unsure where she was going with the conversation. "No Starfire what I meant was you really care about him and you like him. I mean we can all tell."

"Oh, well of course! I care about all my friends!" She smiled her tail swayed to and fro.

"No, I mean you liiike him." Beast Boy replied putting an emphasis on the vowels.

"I…I don't understand." She replied.

"Look ever since Tokyo you and Robin have been disappearing a lot lately, and you can't tell me you guys aren't making lovey dovey faces during breakfast cause I've seen you!"

There was a short pause as the Tameranian registered his words.

"Sorry...I…uh…your earthly ways confuse me… please we should get going, yes?" She replied quickly and beginning to pad away ahead of Beast Boy. "Are you coming?"

Beast Boy stared at her for a moment then laughed, shaking his head, "Yeah sure I'm coming." He knew she was avoiding the subject all together; it was obvious she was heads over heels for the boy wonder; though he was still surprised that they have yet to make their relationship official. Not once since Tokyo has he seen them kiss or yet even hold hands. It was a strange relationship in his standards; he began to wonder what was holding them back. Were they embarrassed? He thought about it for a moment as he caught up to Starfire. Perhaps they were afraid of being poked fun at, well, actually he would poke fun at them if they did hook up but still that wasn't the point! If they truly liked one another why hold back? Beast Boy was slightly baffled by both the situation and his thoughts. Why was he thinking this anyway? This wasn't exactly a day by day thing, he's never really thought this much into it. Man he was bored.

"Alright I'll let you off the hook, this time." Beast Boy teased walking side by side the Tameranian with a sly smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Starfire murmured trailing off and ducking her head in embarrassment.

Looking back ahead of him with a small shake of his head Beast Boy noticed a large pond and swerved towards it. He was beginning to get thirsty with all this walking. He looked behind him to watch Starfire barely avoid collision with a small rock outcrop and quickly bound up beside him. The pond was only a few tail lengths away and he slowed down his pace as he reached the edge, stepping on various pebbles strewn all around the shore.

Looking down at his image he blinked his dark green eyes at the unusual silver fur. The water was unnaturally clear and crisp. He's hasn't seen clear pond water like this since his days spent in Africa. Dipping his mussel into the water he took in small gulps of water. He could hear Starfire edge her way to the pond beside him and copy his movements. Her large gulps of water sounded throughout the area. Lifting up his head he looked around the forest for any dangers before turning to Starfire who quickly backed away from the edge, shaking her head violently side to side.

"Bl-yuck!" Starfire cried out lifting her paw to swat at a few mosquitoes flying around her face.

"These bugs are most unkind!" She growled, snapping her jaws at a few buzzing nearby. Beast Boy flicked his ears at the two near his head, knowing since they were near water the bugs will soon swarm the two.

Suddenly Starfire gave a giant sniff of air and let out a sneeze.

"Ah Choo!"

Snot covered gnats smacked into Beast Boy's face, causing the changeling to quickly back up in surprise, shaking his head.

"EW! Oh, gross Star!" He cried out wiping the gunk off in one paw sweep and flicking it into the grass below.

"My apologies…" Starfire replied, rubbing her nose and giving a couple sniffs.

A sudden loud clap of thunder sounded from overhead. Starfire jumped, her fur standing on edge and raced over towards Beast Boy pushing him to move away.

"They are angered! Please we must leave for I fear we are in danger!" she cried out pushing Beast Boy so hard he collapsed to the floor with a huff.

"Wait, Star it's ok! It's just thunder!" He yelled over the rising wind.

Starfire paused, staring at him, "Oh, thunder…right… I knew that…" she whispered, shaking on her paws.

Looking up from on his back, Beast Boy watched the clouds roll in. The large fluffy white cotton balls in the sky seemed to be running away from the dark, spooky clouds from behind. A shot of lightning lit up the sky in the west and he lowered his ears when the thunder followed. The wind began to tug at his fur, pulling it over on his left side. The grass began to dance along with the wind and the trees swayed to the side to join them.

Flipping back over on his paws he looked over at Starfire who had lowered her head against the sudden gust of wind. Her red ears flapped behind her and her tail was tucked between her legs. He looked around for a moment, hoping to find some kind of shelter, any shelter at all. He squinted his eyes to his far right trying to pick out any large trees or outcroppings but none was to be found. He fur spiked up as another clap of thunder sounded from overhead.

Turning back to Starfire he nudged her slightly, "Come on let's get out of here, we need to find shelter before it starts to-"Beast Boy's words were lost as a torrent of rain suddenly pelted the two wolves in the clearing.

"Rain." He finished with a sigh.

Looking back over towards the right side of the clearing he began to pad in that direction, looking back at Starfire who followed close behind. "Can you run?" He asked.

She bit her lip as the rain dripped down between her eyes. "I…I don't know-" A streak of lighting cast overhead and she jumped from the brightness, "Yes! I can run!" She quickly took off, tripping over her paws for a moment before regaining her balance and passing up Beast Boy in a frightful speed.

"Wait for me Starfire!" He cried out, sending pebbles and grass flying into the air as he pushed off the moist ground.

He broke into a fast sprint, catching up to the frightful Tameranian and raced beside her, pelts drenched. Another boom of thunder cast over head of them, the wind was picking up faster and he had a hard time keeping straight on their path. Looking up ahead he thought he saw a pile of large rocks. Racing towards them he felt a relief of a sigh seeing a large outcrop where at least four wolves could fit snuggly inside.

"Hey I think I found some shelter!" He cried over the howling wind towards her.

"You think I'm a hound for hitler?" She cried back, confusion laced in her voice.

"What? No! Just follow me!" Beast Boy cried out, veering off towards the large rock out groove with Starfire hard on his paws.

When he arrived to the large set up of rocks he noticed it was made up of only four or five boulders. There were the two large jagged boulders on the side with another placed neatly on top, another large rock was cast out beside them, as if an earthquake had knocked it down at one point of time.

Starfire took no time racing into the small space, Beast Boy right behind her. As the rain ceased from the rocky roof she shook out her pelt, spraying Beast Boy.  
"Hey!" He cried out laughing, and then quickly joined her, shaking his fur side to side until both were dry enough to sit down. The storm outside the little groove of rocks raged, the wind brought the grass flat and the rain began to form hundreds of tiny puddles.

Starfire gazed outside for a moment watching the water drip down from the top of the roof onto the grass below. She stared as the water trailed down into the dirt forming a round circle of water from other drops that had fallen.

"Wow that storm came outta nowhere!" Beast Boy cried out suddenly. "I mean did you see my face I was so freaked out!" he paused for a moment to catch his breath. "I'm glad we found somewhere to hide for a while, I thought we'd be running forever!" he laughed swiping his paw over his face casting off a few drops of rain. Starfire looked over at him and smiled but didn't say a word.

Beast Boy coughed and looked away for a moment unsure what to say next. He let his paw rub the back of his neck feeling the awkward silence begin to take over once more.

He was about to say something when Starfire spoke up, "Maybe we should rest for a while…" She stated looking over at Beast Boy before lying down on the hard stone floor.

"Oh, um yeah… that's a good idea…" Beast Boy stretched out his paws and let his belly brush against the floor. He let his head fall to his front paws and he sighed watching the rain drench the trees outside. He missed Cyborg and the others. He missed joking around and playing video games. He missed being able to bug the snot out of Raven when she was trying to read another book instead of joining them for dinner. He missed the Titans Tower. He sighed again watching a rabbit race for cover inside a hole into the ground.

Starfire sniffed slightly beside him and he cast a gaze at the she-wolf who hung her head over her paws, looking away from him. He felt sadness well up inside her, an emotion that vibrated off her like the lightning outside. He didn't like to see her sad, it made him sad to see his friends upset. But what could he do to cheer her up? She wasn't Raven or Robin her two closest friends on the team. He was just Beast Boy, the jokester. She didn't want to be stuck here with him, she knew if she had a choice he would be her final pick. He cast his eyes down at his paws. Was he that bad of a friend?

Looking over back at Starfire he mustered a small smile, "Hey, don't worry about the storm outside…" A large crash of thunder filled his ears for a moment, Starfire cringed, fur standing on end.

"I…uh…when I was young with the doom patrol I was terrified of storms." Starfire lifted her head and looked over at Beast Boy with interest, her eyes sparkling as if tears had recently formed.

"I…uh…I used to run to Elasti-girl and wake her up in the middle of the night. The wind and the thunder would always scare me." He paused looking at his paws for a moment listening to the wind blowing violently outside. "She would take me by the hand and sit down next to me; she would tell me everything was fine… She told me it was just the angels bowling." Beast Boy laughed quietly, "She would say: there was nothing to be scared of Beast Boy… the louder it is just means the more pins the angels had just knocked down." He stared at his claws feeling memories flowing inside him, his heart twisted with sadness for a moment of remembrance.

"Is, is that true?" She asked gazing up at the sky with sudden interest.

"Nah, it's just an old myth. I used to believe it though, and when I did, the storms wouldn't frighten me anymore."

There was a pause and wind filled their ears once more.

"You miss them don't you Beast Boy?" She inquired.

Beast Boy looked over at Starfire and ear pulled back to the side, "Who? The Doom Patrol?"

When Starfire nodded he sighed, "Sometimes. But not really, I miss the good memories, but I don't miss the team." He looked back outside. "Mento was always tough on us, you remember him with our fight with Brother Blood don't you?"

Starfire perked up her ears, "Oh yes, he was…interesting."

"Yeah, he sure was..." He trailed off, not wanting to bring up any more memories from his previous team.

There was another silence then Starfire suddenly spoke up, "You were right Beast Boy."

He looked over at her, "Whatcha mean Starfire?"

She took in a breath of air and let it out heavily, "I-I do miss him…" she laid her head down upon her soft red paws, eyes half closed staring at the storm ahead of her. She continued on before Beast Boy had a chance to reply, "I miss the way he would comfort me at night when I was frightened. It's like he knew."

Beast Boy then realized she was referring back to their conversation earlier that day. He felt his eyes glide back to his paws, uncertainty gripping him. He felt a little uncomfortable talking about their relationship with him since they weren't that close of friends to start with.

"I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night when there was a storm. I would always go to the couch and watch the storm outside, waiting for it to pass. I wasn't really that frightened, more curious. But sometimes when I hear the wind it reminds me of the giant Glormflat back on Tameran. They are the size of a small home yes?" She looked over at Beast Boy who shrugged. "When I was a child I came too close to one. They let out the most fearful sound, the sound of a forceful wind, perhaps on earth the sound would be considered…a tornado perhaps?"

"Yeah tornados sound a lot like a plane or a train I heard with lots of wind," Beast Boy suggested, looking at her with interest, she had never opened up to him like this before… It was a little strange he thought.

"Anyway, if my Caregiver wasn't there that day I would not have been here... The memory still haunts me…" she paused. "Robin would always wake as well; he would come into the lobby and sit next to me with a cup of chocolate that was heated. We would stay up telling stories and laughing…" Her eyes sparkled from the memory. "He always made me smile."

Beast Boy smiled as well, he had no idea she was so into their team leader. "You really like him huh?"

She nodded and he bit his lip, "So, how come you guys aren't you know…going out? I know Robin likes you too, there's no doubt about that." He laughed at his last statement.

Her eyes dulled for a moment and she laid her head back down upon her paws, closing her eyes.

"I…I don't know." She murmured.

Beast Boy flicked his ears in confusion, "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I…I asked him once…" She paused. "But Robin said he didn't wish to 'date', he said it will ruin our relationship." She whispered, letting her eyes close halfway.

"What?! That's ridiculous!" he cried out.

"Yes it may be… but he told me it was for our own good… We would be in danger if we did. He said…he said I would be a target." She sniffed closing her eyes.

Beast Boy gazed at her with soft eyes; he slowly padded up closer to her and nudged her on her side, lying next to her. He flicked his tail beside her, "You know…if you really want something, I wouldn't give up just yet." He paused, "I wouldn't give up."

Starfire looked up at his bright eyes and she smiled, "I won't." she replied a spark of hope flaring into her voice. "I won't give up."

"That's the way. Now quit acting all sad, it's seriously depressing me out." He growled playfully pushing Starfire against her side.

She smiled and gave a small laugh as another clap of thunder sounded outside. She flattened her ears but instead of cowering she laughed looking outside with a small smile. "Thank you friend." She replied her tone lighter than what it was a few moments ago.

"But what of you and Raven?"

Beast Boy's smile disappeared, "What?"

Starfire looked over at him with a large smile, payback written all over her face. "You try so hard to get her to join our games! You always provide her with your jokes and you always insist on bugging her when she meditates!" She giggled when he stared at her, mouth slightly open.

"Um, heh, Star you're probably getting the wrong message here, were just friends, teammates." He smiled slightly.

"Sure, whatever you say Beast Boy…" She replied giggling again as lightning lit up the small cavern.

"Is it getting hot in here or what?" Beast Boy suddenly mentioned using his paw to fan himself.

"I'm fine; maybe you are just getting hot by my mention of friend Raven. Do you have, oh what was the term Cyborg used? Oh! You must have the hots for her, because you are hot!" She suggested gleefully.

Beast Boy stared at her, "That was wrong on so many levels Star… and no I don't…uh didn't you say you wanted to nap? I'm starting to feel a little sleepy now, so I will just slide over here and…"

Beast Boy slid himself a tail length away from Starfire and rolled over on his side away from her. A clap of thunder made him fold his ears to his head and curl into a small ball.

Starfire looked over at him, "Oh, ok if you're tired then I guess I'll just sleep too, goodnight friend!"

"Yeah, night…" He replied, knowing full well he couldn't sleep.

Too many things were racing in his mind. Why would Starfire say such a thing? Was there something between him and Raven he never considered? No, there was no way, he never saw her in that light…or did he? He sighed, curling one of his claws into the grass ripping it away.

She was always so quiet, so to herself. He never enjoyed seeing her alone because deep down he knew she didn't want to be alone. It was an act; he knew because if she truly wanted to be alone she would stay locked in her room. But instead she reads on the couch, where everyone else was. She had feelings, and even though she has to keep them in check it doesn't mean she can't feel them at all. He knew how it felt to be lonely, like no one would accept you. He just didn't want to see her all alone, without anyone to talk to. He tried so hard because he cared…

'_I care...'_ he thought quietly.

'_But I care about all my friends… That doesn't mean I like her any more…' _He paused thinking through a few memories, '_Maybe I do try harder to make her smile…to make her happy…I just want to see her happy.'_

Beast Boy closed his eyes and bit his lip, maybe something more was there after all… A crack of thunder sounded overhead and he began to listen to the rain pelting the ground outside. It was going to be wet when they left for sure. He just hopes they won't be flooded inside before the storm passes by.

* * *

Hope you liked it! I added a bit of some cutesy talk between two titans that really don't talk very much when together. If you liked it leave me a review, if you didn't then give me a critique! Oh and if you're interested with my other story it's called You're Never Alone. It has more conversation then this story but it'll pick up the action soon enough!

**Mai


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